Tending to you
by Hellmouth23
Summary: Set around FF time when Jack is at his worst with his drug addiction but can that all change when he meets an unexpected someone at the Hospital. JATE Ficlet. EPILOGUE IS UP.
1. Chapter 1

**Tending to you**

**Summary: set around FF time when Jack is at his worst with his drug addiction but can that all change when he meets an unexpected someone at the Hospital. An unexpected someone he hasn't seen for four months.**

Enjoy

As each day passed he grew empty and less wanting of what life attempted to offer and to a certain extent he felt he had no reason to because the one thing he did want was unattainable at the moment due to his mistake. One he longed to take back but he couldn't dismiss the sharp sting he felt whenever he looked into those crystal blue eyes. The very sight reminding him of what he had lost in a place he had least expected to find it.

"_I can't do this a__nymore. I'm sick of lying."_

Those were the last words he had exchanged with her with nothing but defeat and disappointment within his tone. He knew the argument at the time solely rooted from their current living restrictions, but a part of it did have to do with Kate's continuous negligence to solidify their relationship. Her fears of exposure as a result proving too much of a risk for her and her new found responsibilities. However he always felt that it was something more.

So here he was four months later and living a life of regret with nothing to console him, other than the artificial means of course, but even then to those fixes helped for a short amount of time and by the end of it he felt even worse. Nothing could fill the gaping hole in his heart at this point. He was damaged beyond repair, and in an effort to take his mind off it he buried himself into his work, heart and soul. Although the temptation of his growing addiction seemed to gradually outweigh every aspect of his life. To the extent where he was less caring of his life because he felt there was no real reason to embrace it any further. The pain was simply too much to bare and he just wanted to end it once and for all. So with that he parked his jeep on the side of the bridge and walked towards the edge. His legs trembling with each stride but his mind and eyes were firmly focused on the path ahead. The path he now felt was his freedom from the life of lies and restriction he had been living for the past four months.

Three steps later and he now stood before the final barricade, his eyes briefly surveying what lay beyond it and he was hit with a sudden and expected amount of fear at the cost this freedom came with, and within that moment he simply closed his eyes and recited every image of his life. The majority of this collage of images being filled with the one thing he felt stood out in his life, Kate. No matter how much he tried to push her to the side, she always popped up one way or another and it frustrated and warmed him at the same time.

She was truly unlike any other woman he had met or experienced before. She was fiery, passionate, strong and continuously supportive of the decisions he made.

"_I've got your back." _A mutual oath between them that didn't need any further explanation cause there was enough physical dedication behind it to give it a strong semblance of meaning. Now he just wished he could feel the same way, but he didn't because he had failed her and her trust in him when he walked out the door at her time of need.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into the vacant air before him and then placed himself on the top of the barricade, his eyes closing and his figure already leaning over to make that final leap, and before he could he was abruptly brought to a halt by the massive thud of something crashing, and upon further observation he could now see that it was what he vaguely assumed it to be in the first place and with that he sobered up and reacted on his instincts before it was too late.

* * *

She had been putting her check up off for the past week now mainly because she wanted to avoid bumping into the one Doctor she knew would have a lot to say regarding her current position, but that all flew out the window when little Aaron came running into her bedroom squealing about Daddy being on the news.

"_Well it looks like the Heroic Doctor has made his comeback when it was reported that he saved a woman from a car crash today. The woman sustained a few injuries all thanks to the Good Doctor, one of the original survivors of the infamous Oceanic Flight 815. In other news………."_

She never paid much attention to what followed after that for she was too awestruck by what she was hearing.

_A car crash? Injuries? Was he okay?_

Those were the questions that kept looming around in her head and before she took the time to think of the possibilities, she heard the phone ring. Her mind still reeling from the shock but she was still somewhat aware of her surroundings.

"Hello." Was all she said before the other voice on the line briefly filled her in regarding the reason her presence was needed at one "Mercy Hospital". The very hospital she had been trying to avoid all this time.

(Meanwhile - Mercy Hospital)

"There you go, and that should heal fairly quickly. Just don't put too much pressure on it okay." The nurse firmly suggested while bandaging the side of his wounded head.

"Thanks Judy" he numbly offered while attempting to seize the shaking of his hands.

"You should feel proud you know. It's not everyday that a hero comes along." The nurse commented in an effort to brighten up his spirits but he just laughed bitterly in response while muttering a silent apology for his initial response.

"How is she?" he decided to ask the nurse before him after maintaining a seemingly endless moment of silence to gather his thoughts.

"She's recovering well…….thanks to you Jack." Lauren tried one last time but her efforts were abruptly interrupted by a frantic Kate barging into to see none other than a gob smacked Jack staring at her wide eyed.

"I'm sorry to……I can wait outside if you….." Kate struggled to get out as she constantly felt Jack's eyes on her. Surveying every inch of her and she was thankful that she had worn a long coat to hopefully hide the one distinct change since he had last seen her.

"No, it's okay. Besides I think we're done here anyway." Lauren explained and then let herself out when she felt a slight sense of unease within the room.

"So……what are you doing here?" he inquired with a genuine sense of curiosity in his tone and she just looked on ridiculously for a minute and then responded with a sigh.

"I'm still listed on your contacts Jack." She explained and winced slightly when she felt a hint of pain hitting the left side of her abdomen.

"Hey, hey are you okay?" Jack hurriedly asked as he jumped off the bed to tend to her. Her hand instinctively coming out to keep him at a safe distance, and he couldn't help but wince at the gesture. Never the less he pushed it to the side for the moment and focused on the task at hand. His hand automatically moving to the source of the pain this time and he was astounded to say the least when he felt a slight but distinct bump, and there was only so much her clothing could hide from him.

"You're……you're pregnant?"

**The first of a ****three shot fic and who knows maybe I'll work in a detailed version of what happened in Episode 10 ;)**

**So what do you think guys? Should it's rating change to M or should I even continue in the first place? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**First of wow!! Thanks so much for all the lovely feedback. I never thought you guys would like this twist so much, but anyhoo thanks so so much and without further adieu here's the next one. **

**P.S. Thanks guys for also letting me know your opinions on the subject of a change in Rating. I think I will in fact leave this one as a T while giving my smutty mind the chance to express itself through my other Three-shot which will document all three, possibly four of the jate moments in eppy 10. If you guys wanna read it then just click on my profile and enjoy. The first chapter is up and it's titled "Morning" ;)**

Enjoy

"_You're……you're pregnant?"_

It didn't matter how many times he said it, it still didn't sink in or make sense at that moment. That was until Kate offered him a simple explanation.

"Yeah" was all she said while trying to sniffle away her gathering tears.

"Why didn't you call me?" he dumbly asked despite knowing her reasons for avoiding him all this time. However he wanted to her it from her mouth because he felt in some ways that it would give him a sense of clarity.

"I can't…..I can't do this right now." she struggled to get out as the feelings she tried so hard to suppress all this time surfaced within a matter of seconds due to his physical contact with her. His touch still so electrifying that all she wanted to do was give in

"Is this baby mine Kate?" he decided to ask instead, secretly bracing himself for the worst, but he maintained some semblance of hope in his heart as well.

"Would it matter?" she spat out a little harsher than intended but she couldn't seem to push away the memories of that awful night. The night he had accused her of cheating, despite her best efforts to convince him that it was nothing of the sort.

In her mind he should have known that they were past obstacles like that, but no, he let it get to him and as a result he had not only destroyed what they had, but he also destroyed himself in the bargain and that hurt her more than anything. To see him now so sunken; virtually lifeless and slightly trembling with each touch he had initiated over her.

"I'm sorry." she somewhat relented whilst briefly covering her face to get a hold on her emotions which was a considerably hard thing to do during this time.

"No. I'm the one who should be apologizing Kate. It's just that……hearing you mention his name again brought it all back. What happened between you two on the island and I just felt like...like I was the other guy again." he attempted to explain and he was shocked to have her laugh in his face in response.

"You're an ass you know that." she conveyed and he simply raised his eyebrows in return while allowing the hint of a smile to grace his rather sunken features.

"So is it?" he urged once again while making his implications crystal clear as to what he was getting at, his hand now cupping the recess of her slightly rounded belly.

"There's been no one else Jack." She explained hoping that he would catch on to the intent of her statement and she was rewarded with a thankful smile in return, but he was still rather hesitant in any other action her heart expected him to follow with, and truth be told she wasn't all that sure as to what was going to happen from this point onwards. One thing she did know though was that he had to give this addiction up, especially now.

"Jack?" she worriedly questioned when she seemed to receive no solid response in return, and for a moment she expected him to back out of this and she knew without a doubt that it would kill her. However she calmed considerably and then grew incredibly emotional when she saw that he was eyeing a specific spot. The area where their baby was growing and when he was satisfied with absorbing as much as he could of the heart warming view, he looked back up at her once again and said……

"Thank you." He offered before leaning over to hug her. His embrace tight yet friendly at the same time and Kate didn't think to make the distinction because all she could think about was how good it felt to be in his arms again. Her emotions getting the better of her as a result and he immediately pulled away apologizing, but she just pulled him back to her without a thought to consider. However as time went on, realization slowly kicked in, the faint scent of liquor on him being the most pungent element and decision for her to then disengage herself from him.

"So…..um." she started out and was at a sudden loss for words when took the chance to simply gaze at him. The sheer depth of his focus and concentration on her astounding to say the least, and in some ways it made the thing she was itching to ask all the more harder.

"So……how's Aaron?" he asked in an attempt to prolong the inevitable but a part of him still shared an almost paternal sense of concern over the little guy.

"He's fine." She simply responded but slowly felt the need to express the truth because hiding anything more from him would only bring them back to the reason they had split up in the first place.

"He misses you, you know." She confessed and felt her heart break when she saw him bend his head down to hide the emotion that overcame him at that very moment. The selfishness of his actions at the time really hitting him hard now, and he knew a simple sorry wouldn't make it go away in the slightest, but he hoped that there was still a chance to make amends, and maybe there was, he thought to himself as he gazed at the woman now seating herself beside him.

"I miss you." She silently revealed with the utmost emotion while allowing her trembling hand to graze the roughly textured side of his face. Her touch willing him to instinctively lean into the promise and warmth it offered, but he momentarily pulled away knowing that he wasn't deserving of it in the slightest. The recollection of what he did to her that night stinging his mind, and as if almost sensing it Kate quickly continued on in an effort to convince him that he was more than deserving of her love. Although in an effort to prove it she felt the need to come clean with everything. So with that she searched her purse and then pulled out a passport sized photograph of a small blonde haired girl.

"Her name's Clementine." She announced as soon as he caught sight of the picture in her hand, and when he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, she went onto explain the significance of this little girl and the details of the arrangement she had promised Sawyer she would maintain. By the end of it he was left in a state of shock but he felt somewhat relieved to know that, that's all it was.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know." She added and then locked eyes with him. Her mind screaming out the words, but she seemed to lack the confidence in saying it because she was afraid that he would only turn her down in return. However she felt an arrangement like this would surely benefit his well being in the long run cause suffering the withdrawal of an addiction at this stage was a hard thing to maintain. It would obviously require the presence of another person and she felt that she was the perfect candidate for it. So with that in mind she took a deep breath and then proceeded with expressing what was playing on her mind the whole time.

"Come home Jack."

**So what will he do? Come next chap and Jack has something to tell Kate as well. Something that could potentially jeopardize things, but I can assure a resolution by the end of it, especially since there's a jaby on the way ;)**

**So what do you think guys?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Back with the final chapter and I hope you guys will like this fluffy instalment ;)**

Enjoy

"I can't." was his simple and stinging reply evoking nothing but frustration from the person opposite him.

"You can't." Kate pressed on in a clear intent of frustration for automatically assuming his obvious reason for declining her offer.

"You know why Kate." He attempted to explain while trying to focus on everything else but her because he could already gauge her reaction to his defiance. However what he didn't gauge or predict for that matter was her determination to make him see otherwise.

"No I don't. I don't see why you wanna go back to a place we tried so hard to be rescued from all those months, no matter what we were told." She grumbled while also taking the time to point out that what she too had been convinced of at one time was crazy and absurd in more ways than one.

_It was just an island._

_An island with it's fair share of unexplainable things, but still it was just an island._

"We made a mistake." He answered without any sense of hesitation and Kate couldn't help but wince at the possible double meaning behind such a statement.

_Was he also__ regretting what happened between them, especially now?_

She knew it was stupid to question it in any sense judging by the way he had made his feelings clear to her on a countless number of occasions, but still a small part of her always wondered if he truly got past and accepted what she was. What she had tried so hard to redeem herself from once she had a valid reason to do so and that very reason was now standing right in front of her, shamed and so utterly broken that it caused her heart to break even more.

She felt it was her turn now to be his rock. To be there for him in the same way he was always there for her.

_I've got your back._

"I need you Jack. We need you now." She then stated while taking hold of right hand and placing it along with hers on top of her rounded abdomen. A heartfelt gesture to make him see that things had in fact changed since the island. A place she never wished to return to for so many reasons, the most pressing one of all being the emotional strain she would have to endure once again.

"I know you do but…."

"But what Jack. What harm is there in embracing the future instead. A future we both made in warmth and love. You, me, Aaron and this little one." she spoke in a soft and trembling voice as his hand dared to roam the expanse of the area where his unborn child now lay. Although there seemed to be a noticeable change in his expression the moment she mentioned the last part and once again she was afraid that he would freak out and back away.

"I know you're hurting. You feel that accepting Aaron is the wrong thing to do but it isn't Jack. You know as well as I do that all Claire ever wanted was for Aaron to be safe and by doing this you wouldn't be betraying her, you'd be honouring her….."

"I….we can do this Jack." She confirmed urgently hoping that he would finally allow himself the chance to let go and just be happy with her and the life she still wanted to share with him.

In response to her plea he simply looked into her eyes and was taken aback by the hope and determination within them. So much so that it completely weakened his resolve and willed him offer what he was physically capable enough of offering at that precise moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" He was barely able to mouth before he allowed his emotions to get the better of him and before Kate could attempt to comfort him he dropped down to his knees and hugged her in what she interpreted as sheer relief judging by his tight yet loving grip. His face burrowing as close as he could get to the child that lay within her womb and she just watched on with a swelling heart knowing that no words could ever express what it felt like to watch the man you love embracing the most precious gift love could ever offer.

They spent the next few minutes like that. Both too caught up in the spirit of the moment to ruin it with any thing that could later present itself as yet another obstacle.

_There were mor__e important things than believing in some silly superstition anyway._

More than anyone Jack knew that now. He knew that this was where and who he should have been with this whole time instead of straying due to his obvious misjudgement and then listening to a man he wouldn't have given the time of day a few years ago. Although in his defence the man's argument seemed convincing enough to believe, but this was his true fate all along. To be in the arms of a woman whom he not only trusted with his life, but loved with every fibre of his being and with embracing that he felt he could finally move on and gladly accept the priceless awards that came along with it.

"Come home Jack." Kate asked again feeling that he been given a good enough reason to accept this time, but still she braced herself for the worst.

(2 years later)

She woke with a start and was even more alarmed to find nothing but dead silence welcoming her ears. Without even checking what time it was she sprang out of bed and rushed towards the nursery where she expected her two year old daughter to be sleeping safe and tight.

What she didn't expect to see was her daughter lying cuddled up in the arms of a person she loved more than life itself, no matter how corny it may have sounded.

Her first thought was to lightly wake the person but in the end she couldn't bring herself to disrupt the heart warming scene displayed before her. A scene that brought forth an unexpected wave of emotion that was a normal symptom to everyone but her. She was just frustrated by it at first, the same way she was when she was carrying Angie, but the feeling of having a life growing inside you outweighed everything else without a thought to consider.

Though with all of that she continuously insisted that she was capable enough and that worked for the first few months, but after the fifth month she relented and went on the maternity leave she was gladly issued completely out of friendly concern for her.

Never in a million years would she have ever dreamed of living a life like this. Not with all the things she had done in her past but as she was constantly affirmed by her one trusted voice of reason…..

_We all deserve a second chance,_ and that certainly went for her as well.

"I deserve this" she mumbled though still having to pinch herself sometimes in an effort to defeat the belief that this was all some wonderful dream.

"Mmmm Hey." A voice more or less rumbled rising a chuckle out of her.

"Hey." She responded while walking over to him and Angie, his hand immediately making contact with her protruding belly.

"How are they?" he asked while moving his hand around to pick up any hint of a kick and he wasn't left disappointed in the slightest.

"You tell me." Kate joked as she felt each jolt, counting exactly 22 kicks as she allowed her hand to join in on the journey Jack's was already making. Once the kicking seemed to subside, Jack leaned forward and kissed her belly twice, one for each baby growing inside a woman he couldn't imagine loving anymore than his heart already did.

She was the one person who saved him from a time when he was dangerously close to losing it, both mentally and physically. In some ways she also made him realise how much he did in fact need her no matter how much his ego seemed to think otherwise at the time. In the end she was the one who fixed him.

"You okay?" he found himself being asked but the utterly calming and arousing sensation of her fingers massaging the back of his head was enough to win his attention in every aspect. However what stopped him from giving into the feeling completely was little Angie still lying in his arms.

They were seriously at a loss for names the whole time leading up to the birth, but the moment they saw their little girl open her eyes for the very first time, the word "Angelic" seemed to be the only way to describe such a precious sight. So in the end they decided to call her Angelica but short formed it in the end and stuck with Angie.

_Angelica Claire Shepherd__._

Granted it wasn't an all time common use for a middle name but Kate wouldn't see it any other way and Jack agreed with her just as strongly. They had a lot to be thankful for and Claire was the person they were thankful of the most because in a way it was through her and Aaron that they found their way to each other again and here they were holding the heart warming culmination of what their bond had achieved.

Sometimes fate has a funny way of working and at times it may appear to be working against you but in the end it works out in ways you never assumed possible and if anyone was living proof of that theory it was these two, especially now.

"As long as I have you guys I'm the happiest man in the world." A changed and more elated Jack stated and then gently tucked Angie back into her crib while Kate watched on with a swelling heart. Once he was done, he walked back to Kate and took hold of her hand, both sneaking one last glance to see if their daughter was okay. Once they stepped out he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her with so much passion that it nearly knocked her off her feet, and before she could get a hold of her bearings, he was leading her back to their room. The inclinations of his expression suggesting one thing and one thing only, but they were stopped short when they reached the doorway to their bedroom and caught sight of a seemingly unknown figure now lying within the depths of their cosy king sized bed, and as they neared the area they both broke into a knowing smile half expecting something like this to happen and too happy to complain about it.

So with that they both took their usual positions whenever one of the kids needed Mommy and Daddy in the night. Tonight it was Jack on one side, Kate on the other and Aaron in the middle.

**I wanna give a big shout out**** and thank you to: acemaclove88, PirateKnightoftheRings, didgeridoo, Philadelphia, x LostHero x, Lauren, ReadingRed, Lostsalingerscout22, Mannon, Aneesa, Stun04, EllaJulian and to everyone who read, favorited and alerted this fic. **

**Epilogue? It's all upto you guys...**


	4. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**First off wohoo another little fic finished and like all my other fics, I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope you guys will like the outcome.**

**Set a few months later from the previous chapter.**

He hurriedly pulled into the driveway of a rather extravagantly decorated house, knowing that he was going to be in an enormous amount of trouble for arriving three hours late, even though he firmly promised her that he wouldn't be a minute over.

He just hoped the massive pile of gifts he had managed to fit into the back seat of the car, would considerably ease the sharp glare he predicted he would receive the moment he walked through the front door.

With some quiet manoeuvring and a frantic moment spent searching for his keys, he finally managed to get the garage door open, and once he was granted access to it's spacious depths with the exception of Kate's car, he quickly retrieved hold of the gifts, momentarily marvelling at the vast quantity but equally excited at what their reactions would be like tomorrow morning.

Twenty minutes later and all the gifts were placed within the garage and hidden in a spot he knew Aaron or Angie would ever think of looking. At almost two and a half years old she was becoming more and more like her Mother, and that included her ever growing curiosity of everything. A trait he hated and loved about Kate but he found himself frequently opting for the latter because he was too in love with her to find any thing that could falter his feelings at this point.

They were both past the phase of allowing the endless obstacles to prolong what their hearts had been yearning for ever since they unexpectedly met in a place they desperately longed to leave at first, but gradually the maturing bond between them somehow caused their minds to slightly change as a result. They were just too weary to express it at the time.

That wasn't the case now.

Six years later and that very bond which started out as a mutually trusted friendship, slowly strengthened and finally solidified itself into what they were now. Two people who were so in love with each other that nothing else mattered other than the culmination of what their love had unexpectedly brought forth. Two children and another two on the way.

After attempting to tip toe through the backdoor of the Garage leading into the laundry room of the house, he caught sight of Kate putting up the last of the decorations on the gigantic tree that he himself had a tough time getting into the House, but as always he wanted everything to be perfect and this year was pretty much the exception because the Doctors had told them that the Twins' due date could be any day now. They knew the odds of the Twins arriving on Christmas day itself was a pretty big gift to ask for in itself, but if there was one thing they learned it was that fate worked to your benefit when you least expected it to.

"Momma I wawwa put the Angwel on this ywear." He suddenly heard his two and a half year old daughter asking Kate while holding the precious ornament high up in the air. Almost like she just won it or something, and he couldn't help but chuckle and then suddenly frown upon the scene when he caught the distinct look of fatigue displayed over Kate's features when she turned her head to focus on Angie.

Without thinking as to what might happen he took a few long strides across the room and made his presence clearly known. Well technically Angie did with her squealing "Dadda you hwome", but still it failed to dismiss Jack's growing concern for the shocked yet equally tired woman who knew it was a tad risky to be unnecessarily exerting her body at this stage in the pregnancy, but she certainly wasn't one to just stay put and do nothing other than watch TV or go to the toilet practically every twenty minutes.

Plus Christmas was a time of year she cherished the most and it wasn't just because of Jack and the kids. Growing up in a house where there was constant conflict didn't leave much time for the good things to get a sense of precedence. Of course she was far too young at the time to even know of festivals such as Christmas, but still she sensed a growing void that didn't seem to fill itself. Instead it only grew deeper with each argument she was a scared and trembling witness to.

"You're home early." Kate commented and Jack momentarily prepared himself for what was bound to ensue. Though the glimmer of a smile threatening to make it's way onto her face allowed for a sigh of relief to then escape his lips. Right before it was temporarily sealed with hers. A loving exchange that was admittedly hard for them to initiate due to Kate's "Gynormous" belly as she constantly worded it. However Jack said she never looked more beautiful to him, and all she did in turn was chuckle and roll her eyes though still allowing her heart to naturally warm to his words.

"Yeah, just had to take care of a few things." He revealed with a flashing smile and then quickly busied himself with Angie in an effort to not give the brunette a chance to drill him for any more information because the last thing he wanted to do was ruin what he had planned this year. A surprise he had been preparing for the last few weeks though in real effect this was something he wanted to do for quite a while now.

He just felt that doing it on such an occasion would make it all the more special. He also knew that this time round he would go into this without questioning it later on much like he did the last time over something he now saw as nothing but petty.

"Momma hewlped me mwake it Dadda." Angie revealed with nothing but pride in her tone and demeanour and Jack smiled warmly while raising the little girl into his arms so that she could place the ornament on top of the tree.

It was certainly no surprise to him that he found Kate in a puddle of tears as a result of the scene, or so he assumed. So all he did in response was wrap his vacant arm around her, pulling her slightly trembling form into his embrace and allowing himself to participate in the precious moment.

"Where's Aaron?" Jack then asked while gently kissing the side of Kate's head and chuckling at Angie's "Eww grocie" before she removed herself from Jack's arms and scampered off into the living room to play, leaving Jack some alone time with Kate.

"He's…." Kate started out and before she could finish with telling him what had happened today, she was met with an almost changed and amazingly energetic Aaron literally lunging himself into Jack's open arms, almost in relief and she tried her hardest not to allow the slightest amount of jealousy to show within her watchful gaze.

"Daddy!!" Aaron excitedly stated while desperately burrowing himself further into Jack, and Kate then found herself faced with a puzzled look from Jack but he chose not to verbalise his concern just yet. Instead all he did was continue to hold the boy and then release him when he announced he wanted to go get something to eat.

"What was that about?"

"He's a little mad at me for not being allowed to put the star on this year." Kate admitted while trying her hardest to keep her emotions in check, but the very recollection of seeing that little face of anger and disappointment was enough for her.

"Now he hates me." She choked out before she broke down falling into Jack's arms. His voice attempting to sooth her with his words and by the end of it she was left feeling considerably better and a tad more confident about maybe facing Aaron once again.

The rest of the night had gone off fairly well with the exception of Aaron's weird behaviour not just towards Kate, but Angie as well. So later that night while they were settling in, Jack took the opportunity to have a little talk with him.

"So what did you do while I was gone?" he asked opting to not go straight into it because he didn't want to be shut out as well.

"I don't want to talk." Aaron more or less grumbled while bowing his head to hide something Jack guessed he didn't want him to see.

Was it anger? Jealousy?

Whatever it was he needed to know before it got out of hand.

"Aaron, look at me." He asked in a relatively firm manner, gaining the boy's attention somewhat.

"Clai…..Your Mom and I love you more than anything in this world and all we want is for you to be happy." He confessed in a gentle and comforting tone trying his best to convince the boy of what his heart truly felt. Even though it was hard for him to accept at first, but like Kate had told him it was the right thing to do and in trueness of it all he was the only living family link to Aaron.

"And more than anything we don't want you to ever feel like you don't matter because you do buddy."

"You're our son and you always will be." Jack finished feeling a hint of guilt for lying to him, but at the same time it felt good in the sense where he was finally accepting a life he sometimes had to pinch himself in order to believe that it was in fact real and happening to him.

"I know, but….." the little guy started out and then broke off to sniffle away his tears, and in an effort to hear him out Jack sat next to him on the bed.

"I said I hated her."

"But she knows you didn't mean it." Jack attempted to appease the boy and in response Aaron lifted his gaze showing nothing but regret within it.

"Really? You mean Mommy will forgive me after saying that?" he felt the need to innocently enquire and immediately got his answer the next minute.

"I already have." A trembling voice suddenly spoke from the doorway to the room and with that said she walked towards them only to be stopped halfway by a crying Aaron who threw himself into her arms, apologising over and over until Kate silenced him saying that it was okay and that everything would be alright.

Also taking note to tell him that he wasn't on Santa's naughty list cause of what he said.

"I love you swee'pea. I love you so much."

"Love you too Mommy."

Jack in the meantime gazed on at the scene with a swelling heart and the beeping of his watch firmly suggested one thing. It was midnight and little did he know that this would turn out to be the best Christmas ever, especially when Kate was then forced to pull away from Aaron, clutching the sides of her swollen stomach and complaining of getting stabbing pains around the area.

It was time. They were going to be parents again.

**THE END**


End file.
